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I've moved!

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

This blog is all grown up and now I'm at www.vaniviswanathan.com. Head there for a more professional, holistic view of my writing. But the spirit of my writing stays the same: there will be hopeful, personal, meaningless accounts of everyday lives. Thank you for your support over the years. I hope to see you at www.vaniviswanathan.com!&nbs ...

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Fleeting, adulting

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

Oh hello! A million thanks to you if you still come by this page (of course, that could have been due to social media). Eleven years since its birth, this blog has been languishing - my mind has been occupied with what appears to be endless reams of writing: writing as part of two jobs, writing for Spark, writing my journal - so much so that I have no space left to conjure something up for the beloved Blogger. It's rather ironical that writing - for myself - which I used to turn to at every emotion, ...

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A month into Iran

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

One month ago, on the dark, cold, wintry morning of 8th November, I reached Tehran. It's been three weeks since I returned to India, but even today, when I'm in the middle of something else, my mind flashes images of my trip to Iran. Like the green cotton stole I used as a hijab to cover my head. Those few days after returning to India when my hand would automatically reach the back of my head to pull my sliding hijab back up. Walking around the bus stop in Yazd, wondering what to eat or drink: ...

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Remember this week

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

For how suddenly winter set in in Delhi. The smog, the chills, the fans being switched off.  For the awkward coexistence of high-pitched excitement about Iran and the sense that it's still distant (although it's not!) For being 30 for a month (and it doesn't feel any different)  For discovering that the Mt. Fuji puzzle that I'd thought had gone for recycling with newspapers was, in fact, safe at home - enough to make me jump with joy  For some promises that I will get to do something ...

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How I've listened to music: From the 90s to today

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

After reading a tweet from @_curses mentioning Tu Bin Bataye, I suddenly craved to listen to Rang De Basanti. Searched on iTunes, wondering if I'd saved the songs on my system - they were on a CD that I'd bought at Landmark - my first with my own money from a research stipend or something. I dumped the CDs (Rang De Basanti, Yuvraaj and many others) last year after holding on to them for years, moving house to house - there is something dear to cassettes and CDs that mp3s just don't give. Anyway, ...

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My 90s memory and other embarrassing things

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

Out of sheer nostalgia, I played 'Poovukkul Olinthirukkum' from Jeans on YouTube while having dinner. I nearly choked on the dry roti when I realised I remembered every step, every outfit, every change of scene in the song. And then went on to 'Hai Ra Hai Rabba'. Repeat. By the time I came to 'Anbe Anbe Kollathey', I knew I wouldn't be surprised. Of course I remembered it all - her clothes, the colours, the steps, the way Prashanth bloody lip-syncs along. It was hilarious... and embarrassing. ...

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On beauty – 1

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

 During my university years, someone said “Beauty X brains is a constant.” That is, you (a woman) can’t be both exceedingly beautiful and super intelligent. While we can get into discussions on what these two terms mean, I can tell the person who made this statement that beauty – at least in the sense of dressing up – requires intelligence. A LOT of it. Having spent the last twenty minutes of my time trying to force a stud into one of my ear piercings (only to realize I was turning ...

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